Continuing our "Try to Spot the Back of Vernam's Head" photo series, this was shot at the Uptown Theater in Chicago on January 17, 1981.  The night was memorable for many reasons.  A couple of covers ("He's Got You," originally by Patsy Cline, and "Too Far Gone," originally by Tammy Wynette) changed the way I thought about country music.  Less than a year later, my brother and I ventured to the alien turf of Nashville to see one of the shows on EC's three-date Almost Blue/Almost '82 mini-tour.  Vernam was never the same after that, let me tell you.  Also that night in Chicago, someone broke into my brother's car and stole his stereo and my new, unopened import copies of Sandinista! and Trust, purchased that evening at Wax Trax Records.  Then had to settle for domestic vinyl, which I still have.  We barged our way down front during the first song, "Shot With His Own Gun," which sounded great at the time but now seems awfully pretentious.  At this point, I'm also a little iffy about the goofy cravat that Elvis was wearing, but back then, he could do no wrong.  Many more photos of that night right here.

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